Finding Lost Souls
by LKLTB
Summary: The Worlds are in danger. Only the Guardians can help, but they're lost in time without their memories! Only two people know who they are. Now it comes down to a race to find them first...and either awaken or destroy them. DISCONTINUED/UP FOR ADOPTION
1. Prologue: The 'Story' So Far

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, nor am I making any money off this story.

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Prologue: The 'Story' So Far . . ._

In a dimension far away there exists a world known as the Kingdom of Souls, a place where all have peace in their hearts. It is protected by a White Witch named Lady Harmony. She and the Guardians of the Kingdom watch over and protect two other worlds, the Human World and the Digital World, by means of the Temple of Time.

The eight Guardians are named Kari, Guardian of Pure Hearts and Keeper of Peace, Takeru (TK), Guardian of Innocence and Bringer of Dreams, Rika, Guardian of Love and Bearer of Truth, Ryo, Guardian of Character and Confidence, Zoe, Guardian of Understanding and Bringer of Beauty, Takuya, Guardian of Friendship and Defender of Lost Souls, Kouichi, Guardian of Trust and Compassion, and Koji, Guardian of Wishes and Bringer of Strength. The Guardians help Lady Harmony and serve in the Temple of Time. Through the Temple and with the help of the Crystal Sphere, a glowing orb that only the Guardians and Lady Harmony could control, anyone can travel to any point in a world's history.

In another dimension lay a kingdom called the Realm of Broken Dreams, ruled by a Black Witch named Mistress Discordia. She had once been a Guardian, one of the original eight and the older sister of Lady Harmony, before evil filled her heart and she turned on her fellow Guardians and destroyed them. After being defeated she fled to the Realm to plot her revenge. But our story takes place long after that and before the current Guardians knew their full history.

After all, how many sad stories begin with eight children, one child-adult, and a game of tag?


	2. The Problem With Traveling These Days

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 1: The Problem With Traveling These Days . . ._

TK, Kari, Zoe, Takuya, Koji, Kouichi - 8

Rika - 7

Ryo - 9

Place: The Kingdom of Souls

Time: 6 years before 'The Incident'

"TK, I'm gonna get you! You better run faster cause when I catch up you're gonna be It!" 8-year-old Kari yelled. She and two of her very best friends were playing a game of strategy, cunning, and endurance. Grown men had been made and broken by it. I am, of course, referring to the timeless art and precise science known as . . . Tag.

"No you won't cause I'm faster than you! You're not even as fast as Takuya; you'll never catch me-Oomph!" Two children suddenly fell to the ground in a mass of tangled limbs. Kari stood up and started running as fast as her little legs could take her to where a long blonde-haired girl was hiding. She yelled back, "Now who's slower than Takuya?" From her hiding place Zoe, the blonde girl, giggled. Everyone knew that out of the eight of them poor Takuya was the slowest. It was sad really, he couldn't play any fast games or race any of them cause he always lost. Through it all, though, Takie always had a smile for the winner and was the first one to laugh at himself when he tripped or lost. None of them seemed to feel any sadness at all.

"Zoe, Takeru, Kari, it's time to come in now. You have studies." The redheaded Lady Harmony smiled at the three young ones. They were Guardians-in-training and had a lot of work to do after all.

"Awww, but Harmony can't we please stay out just a little longer, pretty please? Zoe hasn't even been It yet!" young Takeru begged. His short blonde hair was messed up from rolling on the ground and his eyes were wide and shining. Lady Harmony took one look and gave up, winning against children was hard work!

"Ok, you can stay out here for a few more minutes, just don't look at me like that!" She laughed as all three children began cheering and ran off. One of them, however, seemed to hesitate then turned back.

Kari ran back to her Lady and smiled up at her shyly. "Do you wanna play too?" Lady Harmony blinked in surprise and smiled. "Yes child, I would love to." There was a small flash of light and suddenly where once was a young woman now stood an even younger girl. She had cherry red hair and blue-green eyes and immediately grabbed Kari's hand, running off to join in the game.

Place: The Realm of Broken Dreams

Time: 6 years before 'The Incident'

"So, she thinks she can just enjoy being a kid forever huh? Well, I'll teach her! My younger sister is in for a rude awakening and I'm the one setting the alarm." Discordia looked up from her glass, tucking her ebony locks behind her ear, and sneered. Her eyes went to an old photo on one of the walls. It was a picture of a group of young adults standing in front of a brilliant white castle. Those people had been her old, what was that word again, she sometimes forgot, oh yes, _friends_. They had thought only of following the rules, protecting the worlds, doing exactly what they were told to do. Discordia had been different, she knew that now. She had never been meant to protect but to rule! _Why had they made the decision to stand in her way?_ Well it didn't matter anymore. She had shown them! There was only one left to stop her, her little sister who, even now, was training a new generation of Guardians to protect the worlds. How disgusting! After all, why defend when you can conquer?

'I just need to wait a few more years until they all begin to go on missions. Then I can put my plan into action. They won't even remember what hit them!" She laughed, the sound high and cold enough to send shivers down your spine.

"Watch out Harmony, I'm coming for your precious children! And when I catch them, well, let's just say the results won't be pretty!" A dagger appeared from nowhere and flew through the air, landing in the middle of the photo on the face of a young woman with red hair.

Kari, TK, Koji, Kouichi, Takuya, Zoe - 14

Rika - 13

Ryo - 15

Place: Temple of Time-The Kingdom of Souls

Time: Day of 'The Incident'

"Guardians, we've received reports from three different time periods, one from the Digital World, one from the Human World, and one from Gennai."

"Gennai? Isn't he in the Digital World too?" Kouichi looked up at Lady Harmony.

She sighed. "Who knows, Gennai always was a mystery in the scheme of things. He could be from just about anywhere really. Takeru, Kari, why don't you two tell us when you get back?"

"Ok."

"Rika, you and Ryo will be heading to the Human World to help the Tamers."

"Gotcha! Don't worry, if there's any team more guaranteed to mess up I'd like to meet 'em!" Ryo gave one of his trademark cocky smiles, earning a laugh from everyone and a punch on the arm from Rika.

"The rest of you, I want you to go to the Digital World."

Koji cocked his head. "Why does it take all four of us? Are there fewer pure children in that time period or something?"

"Well, no, but it's safer sending all of you. In that time period there are several groups of fighters scattered everywhere and I want to be sure that we can find the one that is actually going to be doing the fighting. With four of you we have a better chance of finding the right group and stopping the evil in that time."

"Just who are our opponents anyway? You haven't told us yet!" Takuya was smiling like he was about to go on some grand adventure.

"Takuya, you and Zoe, Koji, and Kouichi will be fighting Cherubiemon but your real opponent is Lucemon. Rika and Ryo will be going against the D-Reaper and TK and Kari . . . " Lady Harmony hesitated.

"What, what is it?"

"TK and Kari have a great many opponents to face. It would take to much time to name them all."

Everyone looked over at them. There were various degrees of pity and concern on each face; they knew it would be hard for these two who hated fighting the most to have to face the most opponents.

"I can give you an idea of who your top opponents will be. There are three: Devimon, Myotismon, and Piedmon. They will give you the most difficulty."

TK turned to look at Kari. "We understand. We'll do our best."

Lady Harmony smiled. "I know you will. Now you must hurry, we haven't much time to lose. Even with the Crystal Sphere we will have to cut it close to avoid placing you too firmly in history."

"We know. Wouldn't want to get stuck there, would we?" Ryo said, earning himself another punch from Rika.

"Better be careful Ryo, wouldn't want to beat your record now would you? There would be nothing left of you then." Koji smirked, enjoying his friend's embarrassment. It was rare to see the older boy off balance. The only time it happened was when Rika was around. Hmmm, he'd have to think about that one . . .

Everyone laughed, knowing it might be the last time they were all together for a very long time. They had no idea how right they were.

Place: The Realm of Broken Dreams

Time: The Day of 'The Incident'

"Yes sweethearts, go ahead and laugh. I will give you that courtesy; after all, it will be a long, long time before you will be able to do so again." She smirked, thinking of all the damage she would cause, the pain. It was intoxicating! The feeling of power, the knowledge that she could destroy them in the worst way possible, cause her sister so much pain, she loved it! Ah, she lived for the passion of the crime, the look on her sister's face when she realized her precious Guardians wouldn't be coming back, that the Darkness had finally won . . . She laughed. Her glass began to glow, a reaction to the use of Time Magic. It was finally the right moment for revenge!

Place: Temple of Time-The Kingdom of Souls

Time: Day of 'The Incident'

"Alright, it's time. Good luck, all of you. I will miss you while you're gone."

"How can you, you can see everything we do!" Rika answered. No one noticed as Ryo's face became sullen at her words. After all, how was he supposed to make his move if Lady Harmony kept her eye on them all the time?

"Actually, I won't be able to this time. I have things to do in the villages and I won't be able to check on you as much as I would like to."

"You mean we'll be unsupervised?" Kouichi stared, eyes wide. He was the only one not to have been on a mission yet and was scared out of his mind.

Lady Harmony smiled. "No, you have each other for that. Just be careful and I'm sure you'll be fine." Kouichi smiled. "Now it's time to go. Farewell."

The children stepped up to the Crystal Sphere and held out their hands. A circle appeared, spreading out until all of them were standing within it on a particular symbol. The symbols represented their guardianship and were the connecting factors between their bodies and Time. The symbols would keep their memories and personalities intact even as their bodies changed to fit into the different time lines. Then a shadow appeared.

"Discordia! What are you doing here?"

"Only this dear sister." With that she threw out her hand and the once pure white light surrounding the children began to crackle with black lightning. All eight Guardians screamed in pain and then they were gone, lost among the worlds.

"What did you do to them? Where are they? Discordia!"

"Oh don't whine so much. They're right where and when they were meant to be. The real question, the one YOU should be asking anyway, is if they even remember you. And I'm not going to tell you anything. So go ahead and suffer dear sister, suffer and cry for them. And when you're done I'll come for you and get rid of them for good!" She disappeared, leaving nothing but her high, cold laugh behind. The sound mixed with sobbing as Harmony sank slowly to her knees, unable to stand any longer. Her poor children! What if she never saw them again?


	3. A Trip to Nowhere

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 2: A Trip to Nowhere_

TK, Kari: 16

Place: Human World

Time: 2 years after 'The Incident'-Season 2

They were all over at Tai and Kari's house watching movies. Sora had picked them out and she'd gotten some really good ones: Godzilla, 10.5, Legally Blonde 1&2, and Gone With the Wind. The problem was no one could decide which one to watch first . . .

"Come on guys," Tai said, "We should watch Godzilla first! That way we can get all the gore and the fighting out of the way." Matt and Davis nodded their heads, agreeing. After all, it sounded reasonable.

"No way! I say we watch 10.5 first. It's far more interesting and could actually happen too. We might learn something." Izzy's idea was met with a few head nods as well, mainly from Cody, Joe, and Ken.

And then there was Yolie's idea. "We should watch Legally Blonde first, it's really funny! Not to mention the guys are drop-dead gorgeous!" Her sigh was drowned out by the gagging sound coming from the boys.

No one wanted to watch Gone With the Wind. At least, that's what it seemed like . . .

"I have the perfect solution!" Kari said, "We'll vote on it! The movie that gets the least votes is the one we'll watch. That way there won't be a tie."

"Good idea Kari!" TK was beaming at her. He knew exactly what she was up to. Everyone wrote down the movie they REALLY didn't want to watch so that their movie would supposedly get the least votes. Since Sora was the only one who hadn't participated in the discussion (or so they thought!) she counted up the tally.

"Let's see, that's twelve votes for Gone With the Wind and zero votes for all the others!"

"That settles it," Kari said, "We watch Gone With the Wind."

"What? Kari, I thought you said that the movie with the least amount of votes wins!" Tai was fuming. He had really wanted to watch Godzilla!

"Well yeah, but since all of the others tied and we can't watch them all at once we're going to watch Gone With the Wind." Kari, TK, and Sora had actually planned this out beforehand, knowing instinctively which movies their friends would and wouldn't want to watch.

Matt sighed. "Give it up Tai, they tricked us and we fell for it. All right you guys, you win, we'll go and get the snacks while you set up the tape." And with that nine teenagers walked into the kitchen, followed by Sora who kept trying to apologize for the deception.

Kari smiled. "Poor Sora, stuck between liking two guys. And the fact that both of them like her back just makes it worse!"

"I know. I'm glad I only have my eyes on one girl!" TK shut his mouth and turned away, supposedly to put in the tape but his real reason was to keep Kari from seeing the blush on his face. How could he have been so stupid as to say that? Of course, if he hadn't then he would've seen Kari's eyes dim.

"Oh really, and who's that?" she asked.

"Um . . . I'm not going to tell you; you'd just laugh at me."

Kari masked the sadness and turned him around to face her. "TK, we've been friends since we were, like, eight! I would never laugh at you for liking ano . . . a girl." Oops, she'd almost slipped!

"Being friends is all the more reason for you to laugh in my face. Besides, asking just makes you sound jealous, and I know you're not. Unless you are . . . " A smirk crept onto TK's face, earning him a punch from the girl in question.

"No! Of course not! I was just curious about who could come between us, that's all." _Perfect Kari, steer the_ _conversation onto safer ground. No more slip-ups, they'll just make him feel sorry for me and guilty._

TK's eyes went from amused to serious in a second. "Kari, is that what's bothering you? I promise that just because I like someone that doesn't mean it's going to come between us. I won't let it." _Which is why I'm never going to tell you how I feel. You would just pity me._

"Thanks TK." Kari smiled.

"Hey you two," yelled Tai from the other room, "Is the tape ready yet cause we're all SO eager to see it!"

"Ha ha Tai, very funny. Yeah, it's ready, so get in here now!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh! You'd think I'd stepped on your rabbit or something!"

"TAI!"

While Kari chased poor Tai around the living room, the more sane members of the group settled down to watch their video.

"Kari, Tai, knock it off, we're trying to hear!"

Sadly, not all of them were able to finish the movie. Davis fell asleep before the beginning credits were over and Tai followed shortly there after. Cody and Ken were amusing themselves by holding Davis's nose closed and dangling a Cheez-It from a string into his mouth. It was hilarious watching him try to eat it in his sleep! Izzy had given up on the movie about half way through and was showing Joe a medical site on the Internet. Yolie and Mimi were taking turns doing each other's hair in different styles, much to Matt's annoyance since they were trying to do his hair too. Only Sora, Kari, and TK watched the movie all the way through. By the end Sora and Kari were holding on to each other and crying and TK was trying hard not to join them.

Tai and Davis woke up as soon as the end credits began, Tai to find his sister and the girl of his dreams weeping puddles on the carpet and Davis to a tantalizing morsel in his mouth. He swallowed it, string and all, much to the disbelief of his friends.

"Mmm, that was good! What was it?" Cody and Ken just stared at him in shock.

"Come on you two, why on Earth are you crying?" Tai just couldn't understand females sometimes. It's like they weren't even human . . . Of course, he still knew more than Davis, but, considering the fact that it's DAVIS, that isn't saying much. Kari glared at her dumb but well-meaning older brother. "Well, if you had been watching the MOVIE you would KNOW, now WOULDN'T you?"

"Jeez, sorry I asked. Come on guys, I think the three 'watering cans' need some time alone . . . " Everyone got up and found their stuff, deciding to take the rest of the movies and continue this at Izzy's house.

"Wait you guys! I'm coming too!" Sora grabbed her purse and cloak and ran after her friends.

"Um . . . so . . . " Apparently TK was feeling eloquent tonight.

"Yeah . . . " And it was contagious too.

"So, ummm, do we want to just follow them or, you know, call them back or . . . "

"TK, let's just go follow them. It's easier."

"Ok." TK went to get his and Kari's jackets while she took out the tape and turned off the TV.

"Ready?"

"Yep! Let's go."

"Uh Kari? Aren't you going to turn the TV off first?"

"What do you mean, I just turned it off."

"Ok, then why is it on?" Kari turned around and stared in disbelief. The television, which she had definitely turned off, was flickering with static. There almost seemed to be a face in the pattern of dots but, of course, that was just superstition talking.

"_Purity, Innocence . . . Today is the day . . . Today . . . you are mine . . . _"

"Uh TK? I think I'm going crazy. I could have sworn I just heard a voice coming from the TV."

TK's face was pale. "If you are then we both are because I heard it too. Let's get out of here!"

As the two teens turned to run something seemed to grab hold of them. They couldn't move, much the same way a mouse can't move when bitten by a snake.

"_Come to me . . . You are mine now . . . _"

Against their will both children turned and walked toward the entertainment set. Holding out their right hands, they touched the center of the screen, which had become a spiral of black and white. They felt a jerking sensation and then they were free-falling. Unfortunately for them, they never got the chance to find out how or where they landed. They were falling so fast that the blood couldn't circulate properly and began to pool in their heads. Red tendrils slowly crept across their vision, quickly followed by a deep darkness. Not the darkness of unconsciousness nor of sleep or death, this came with a sense of panic and pain. Panic caused by having no control and pain caused by loss of breath. As red filled their vision terror set in and all thought ceased.


	4. At the Bottom of the Lake

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 3: At the Bottom of the Lake_

Place: The Human World

Time: 2 years after 'The Incident'

Rika- 15

Ryo- 17

"Hey guys," Takato yelled, "are you ready?"

"Yes goggle-head, we're ready! Now SHUT UP!" Rika, who was in a very bad mood, yelled. She'd had that dream again and REALLY didn't want to think about it . . .

"Wow," Henry muttered, "It must be that time of month . . . "

"I HEARD THAT!"

Ryo, who actually had some sense when it came to girls, cringed. He knew that tone of voice . . . "You guys had better run; I don't think she's too happy . . . " he whispered. The other boys nodded and took off, followed by a VERY ticked off Rika.

"Come on you guys, let's go!" Apparently Jeri was in a good mood, the reason being she'd had a dream about a certain cute goggle-headed boy. She grabbed the picnic basket and ran off with five boys and one girl behind her.

Place: The Lake

"Last one in is a rotten digi-egg!" The air was filled with the sound of water splashing as seven children jumped in the lake.

"Kazu, looks like you were last! Attack!" Poor Kazu, who couldn't help being last, his trunks had been slipping, screamed and tried to swim away. He didn't get very far . . .

"Ah-ha, got you! DUNK HIM!" Ryo laughed. He had been on his school's swim team three years running now. Ryo, Rika, and Kenta each grabbed and arm or head and pushed him under. The three went down also to make sure he didn't drown but Kenta had to surface quickly. His poor lungs just couldn't take the pressure.

Ryo and Rika both lost sight of the boys and began to panic. Well, Ryo began to panic, Rika couldn't help but think 'Good riddance, I never liked those two anyway.' Then she began to panic. But it wasn't because of the missing boys. It wasn't even because she was running out of air. It was because her body, which had been steadily moving upward, was now moving down. Quickly.

She tried to motion to Ryo for help only to find him even farther down. His eyes were wide and he was staring down in horror. For one second Rika wondered at that; Ryo had never been scared in his life! Then she looked down beyond him and saw . . . a whirlpool. Not a regular whirlpool, this one was black and white and not just sucking them down but holding on to them. She could actually feel invisible hands on her legs, pulling her down. Then a voice floated up from the center . . .

"_Confidence . . . Love . . . finally, you are mine . . ."_

'Ok, that is freaky. A whirlpool is talking to me! Must be the lack of oxygen . . . '

"_No Love . . . I am real . . . and now . . . you and your boyfriend . . . belong to me . . ."_

After that Rika stopped struggling and blacked out, falling even faster. Ryo, seeing her closed eyes, panicked and tried to grab for her before the darkness claimed him as well. Both warriors weren't even conscious to notice that they were no longer traveling through water . . .


	5. And the Last Four Fall

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 4: And the Last Four Fall . . . _

Zoe, Takuya, Kouichi, Koji - 16

Place - The Human World

Koji fought, gave it all he had, but he was losing the battle. He struggled and managed to gain the upper hand for the time being but he was losing strength fast. He knew soon it would overpower him, that he would give in, but he tried to keep going. Then, finally, he surrendered. He was defeated.

Koji Minamoto, A.K.A. The Most Serious Man on Earth, cracked a smile. He just couldn't help it; his brother and Tommy looked ridiculous! They were currently standing on their heads in the middle of the field. Their faces were red and they were wobbling so much it was a wonder they didn't fall.

"You guys do know that the bet is off, don't you?" He was, of course, referring to the bet that Takuya and JP had made.

"It is not!"

Koji raised an eyebrow. "Yes it is. Takuya, you bet five minutes and JP bet seven. They have now been going for," he checked his watch, "Twelve minutes and you both have lost."

"That's why we keep upping the ante! I bet twenty!"

JP turned up his nose. "Twenty? That's insulting! I think they can keep this up for thirty minutes at least. Maybe more."

The sane twin sighed. "They could keep this up all night. Believe me, I know; Kouichi has tried it before . . . " He shuddered. "It was not a pretty sight."

Suddenly there was a gasping sound. Four heads turned in panic to where the two boys were before stopping in surprise . . . and laughing. There was Tommy, with both feet on the ground, literally sitting on his head. Poor Kouichi was alternately trying to help him straighten out and keep from falling on his own face as well. Zoe managed to force out a 'Let me help' before falling in a giggle fit on top of both boys, effectively knocking them to the ground.

Koji suddenly smirked. "Well, I guess there wasn't a winner after all. Thirteen minutes is hardly the same as twenty or thirty. I guess we should thank you Tommy."

"Why?"

"You just saved us from a wasted night of standing here listening to Takuya and JP doing what they do best; sounding stupid."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's the truth."

"Yeah, but you don't have to be so mean about it," JP said as he stuck out his tongue. Everyone laughed, even Koji. It was times like these that one wouldn't trade for all the gold in the world. Even if it was spent in such . . . interesting . . . company. Suddenly Zoe was pointing just past Kouichi's head. "Hey, what's that? You don't think it's some kind of new digital portal, do you?" They all turned and Takuya, Koji, and Kouichi stared.

"Zoe, what are you talking about? I don't see anything. What about you Tommy? Takuya?" JP was looking around at the sky, seeing nothing but clouds.

"I don't see anything either. What do you think Takuya? Takuya?"

The goggle-headed boy wasn't answering. All he seemed capable of was staring at a place in the sky not five feet from the ground. 'What's that? Weird, I've never seen anything like this before. It looks like a backwards-spinning toilet. Better tell the others to be . . . To be . . . ' Suddenly, he wasn't able to think anymore, just listen to the strange, almost familiar, voice coming from the 'toilet' in midair.

"_Friendship . . . Now you . . . and your friends . . . will join the others . . . in hell . . . I have waited . . . so long . . . for this day . . ."_

Koji couldn't help himself. He couldn't stop gazing into that beautiful spiral. 'I bet Kouichi is loving this, he really enjoys this type of thing . . . but maybe now would be a good time to . . . To . . . ' For some reason he was having a really hard time thinking straight. Then he heard it, or more precisely, her.

"_Strength . . . Now you . . . and your friends . . . will join the others . . . in hell . . . I have waited . . . so long . . . for this day . . ."_

Kouichi was looking up at the most amazing thing he'd ever seen in his life, besides the Digital World. The air right above him was twisting and spinning in an almost spiral shape. If he hurried, he might just be able to get his sketch . . . Just like that he forgot everything. An annoying sound had interrupted the beauty, like nails on a chalkboard during a fun algebra problem.

"_Trust . . . Now you . . . and your friends . . . will join the others . . . in hell . . . I have waited . . . so long . . . for this day . . ."_

Zoe was mystified. She had absolutely no idea what the . . . the . . . the whirlpool in the sky was. 'I could almost swear it's a gate to the Digital World, but that can't possibly be true. We were told that we'd never get to . . . To go back to . . . ' Her thoughts cleared and her head filled with mist, carrying with it the most hideous and beautiful voice she had ever heard.

"_Understanding . . . Now you . . . and your friends . . . will join the others . . . in hell . . . I have waited . . . so long . . . for this day . . ."_

JP and Tommy both watched in horror as the light in their friends' eyes dimmed and took on an almost zombie-like quality. They began walking, right foot, left foot, right, as if they were soldiers in rank. They didn't seem capable of hearing their friends' worried pleas; even their eyelids were blinking at exactly the same time. They took one, two, three steps and disappeared into thin air.


	6. At the Place Where They Gather

**Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 5: At the Place Where They Gather . . . _

Place: The Realm of Broken Dreams

Kari started drifting awake, aware only of her own body at the moment. She heard a sound off to her left and remembered that TK was there with her. Then she heard a sound off to her right . . .

'What? Who could that be? The last I remember was when TK and I went to turn off the TV . . . '

The TV. Black and white swirls. A voice. The feeling of being pulled in. "TK, where are you?" Kari was starting to panic.

Rika was having a hard time concentrating. For some reason she just couldn't get her mind to focus. She remembered the lake but after that . . . after that things were just a big blur. She did vaguely remember being pulled down underwater with Ryo but that could just be a figment of her imagination . . . if she had an imagination.

Then she heard a voice off to her left saying, "TK, where are you?" It sounded panicked and slightly familiar, not like her friends but like something she'd heard in a dream once, a long time ago.

Koji woke to a buzzing sound in his ears. His first thought was for the safety of his brother. The second concerned himself . . . 'What have I gotten myself into now?' He could barely remember what happened to him. He'd been looking at the 'hole' in the sky when he had lost control of his body. It had started moving without consent and that made him angry, until he'd noticed that Takuya, Zoe, and Kouichi had been acting the same way . . . THAT had scared him, and Koji Minamoto wasn't one to scare easily.

He heard movement off to his right and immediately tensed. Then a voice, like something from a long lost memory, cried out in the dark. "TK, where are you?" 'Kari,' he thought, and shook his head. Where had that name come from? Come to think of it, did he even know someone named Kari?

TK shook his head. Something had happened to him and Kari; he just knew it. He couldn't see and he was getting bad feelings from this place. It was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He shifted slightly to his left and stopped. Did he hear other people moving? Logically, he knew that one of them had to be Kari but who else was here. Then he heard her, lying just to his right. "TK, where are you?" She sounded so scared . . .

"Don't worry Kari," he whispered, "I'm right here." He put his hand out and touched her arm. She jumped slightly but relaxed and took his hand with her own. "I'm afraid," she whispered back.

"I know, but we'll be ok. We just have to stick together."

"Ok."

To say Zoe was frightened was an understatement; she was terrified. She'd just heard two people talking in whispers just off to her left, and they hadn't sounded familiar. She was in an unknown place with unknown people talking all around her . . . At least, she thought they were unfamiliar . . . She didn't remember their voices, but something inside of her wanted to comfort the girl. That just didn't make any sense! She only comforted her friends and this girl didn't remind her of any of them, did she? That was probably what scared her the most, not knowing if these people were friends or if she simply couldn't trust her own mind . . .

Kouichi sat up. People were talking, it was dark, and he couldn't find his brother. All of these factors came together, causing him to panic. He started to hyperventilate but quickly remembered what his brother had told him; that if he got scared or started to panic to just breathe deeply. He did and immediately began to choke. The air was full of something; he just knew it! Some kind of poisonous gas or, or maybe . . . 'Stop it! What would Koji think of you if he saw you like this? Ok, I have to think calmly . . . What would Koji do in this situation? Probably grumble and yell about the lack of light . . . ' The thought was enough to settle his stomach and make him smile slightly. Very slightly. Ok, so maybe there was another reason why he couldn't breathe deeply. As an experiment, he tried again with the same result. The hot, heavy air was making him sick. Wait, heavy air? Oxygen and Hydrogen weren't heavy . . . Kouichi mentally ran through the periodic table. He could think of many heavy gases but could remember only one that was tasteless, odorless, and wouldn't kill you: Argon. This atmosphere must have more of it than the Digital World and Human World did. Ok, so no deep breathing. Well at least that was one thing less to worry about. Now if he could only find his brother . . .

Ryo was dazed. He could have sworn that he and Rika had been at the lake, and this was NOT the lake. Maybe he had hit his head; that could explain why he was hearing strange voices whispering in his ear . . . Wait, those noises weren't in his head, they were across from him! Just what was going on here? He knew he wasn't going crazy so there had to be a logical explanation. He just had to find it . . .

Takuya was still dreaming. That was the only way to explain it. That or he was a long way from home with people whispering on all sides. He took a calming breath, hoping that these people might be, if not friendly, then at least not dangerous. "Hello?" He hoped.

The group was in total darkness, unable to see one another. If they had, they would have seen themselves arranged in a circle. When Takuya called out 'hello' all of them jerked in surprise and sat up. "Hello?" TK answered.

Takie sighed in relief. "Who are you? Koji, Kouichi, Zoe, are any of you there?"

Koji recovered his senses first. "Well duh. Where else would we be?"

"Koji!" Kouichi made an exasperated sound. "Being rude doesn't help."

"Um, I don't mean to butt in or anything," Kari said, "But who are all of you? The only person here I know is TK."

Zoe tried to smile. "Who's TK? Your boyfriend?"

Rika snorted. "Great, more girls who only like 'girly' talk."

"Rika!" Ryo frowned.

"What?" Her retort was sharp, like it had been bitten out by someone who was stretched beyond her breaking point.

Ryo only shook his head. "My name is Ryo and my friend here is Rika."

"I'm TK, and this is Kari." The voice that spoke was quiet and calm, almost shy, but with a comforting quality.

There was more shifting as they all stood and another voice spoke out. "My name is Zoe; my friends are Takuya," Takie grinned and said 'hi', "Kouichi," again another response, this time 'it's a pleasure to meet you', "and Koji." A suspicious 'hn' met this name.

Ryo smiled. "Well, now that we all know each other, maybe we can figure a way out of here."

"That's a good idea!" Now that they might have some new friends Kouichi was feeling much better.

Ryo smirked, "Of course it is; I always come up with good ideas."

"Shut up Ryo." There was no doubt, Rika was taking just as little nonsense here as she had back home.

Koji's eyes narrowed. "I don't know you, why should my brother or I listen to a word you have to say?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Silence followed. "Then we try what I suggested."

Koji glared in Ryo's general direction. "I don't take orders," he said.

"Neither do I."

"I don't care, so shut up!"

Kouichi paled. "Brother, stop! We're all in big trouble right now; we can't fight! I know you don't like being ordered around, but can't you at least try to get along until we get out of here? Please?"

Kouichi's pleading did what nothing else could, cooled off Koji's anger. "All right, but only for now." With that Koji went back to his brooding.

TK sighed. "All right, now how are we going to get out of here?"

"Why, you're not."

All eight children spun around. There, standing in a spotlight of black light, was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen, but there was something wrong with her. Her beauty was blinding but stark ugly. It looked fake; as if she had a costume on. There was no doubt, however, that she really looked like that. It just seemed . . . wrong.

She was walking toward them with a grace that complimented her looks well, but felt just as wrong as her appearance. They didn't know it, but all of them were getting the same impression: a venomous snake rearing its head.

"My name is Discordia. I didn't mean to alarm you; merely tell you that it is impossible to escape. A great many have tried; all failed. My domain is impenetrable."

"Your domain? You mean, you're the one who brought us here? Why? What did we ever do to you?"

Discordia laughed. "So many questions, you truly are the Guardian of Understanding. Very well, I suppose it won't hurt to tell you why you are here. Yes, I was the one who brought you here. I brought you because it is time to finish my revenge. What did you do to me?" She laughed again. "Nothing. Your only crime is being important to my sister. Truly a tragedy for you because now you must die."


	7. A Way 'Home'

**Digimon: Finding Lost Souls**

_Chapter 6: A Way 'Home'_

Place: Kingdom of Souls

"Lady Harmony, Lady Harmony!" Gantza came running into the room. "Lady Harmony, the Crystal Sphere is acting up! It's glowing on it's own!"

Lady Harmony was shocked. The only reason the Sphere would act up would be if… "Start a search spell and prepare a portal."

"Very well, My Lady, but what are we looking for?"

"The children…"

Place: Realm of Broken Dreams

"Important to your sister?" Kari asked. "But we only met you today! I don't even know who your sister is!"

"Oh, we've met before, although we weren't properly introduced… But that is neither here nor there. You must understand, I have nothing against you personally; you're just the means to an end. You see, my sister would suffer greatly if you died, and causing her pain is my greatest…what is this!"

Discordia stared off into the darkness. Turning around, none of the children could see what she was looking at, until a white dot appeared about fifty meters away. It grew larger, becoming a large doorway. Discordia screamed profanities as the door began to shrink slowly.

"I'm guessing that door's our way out," Ryo said.

Koji grabbed his brother and started running. "I think I actually agree with you this time." The rest of the children took off as well, quickly overtaking Koji and Kouichi.

"Koji, I can run by myse…" Koji felt his brother's arm slip from his hand and turned around. Kouichi was picking himself up after tripping from being pulled along by his older brother. Koji ran back to help him up.

"Kouichi, watch out!" he yelled, pushing his brother back onto the ground, only to be grabbed by Discordia. "Run, get out of here!"

The other six had stopped running when they heard Koji shout, and Ryo and TK ran back to help. Koji pointed at them as best he could and said, "Get my brother out of here already!" They grabbed Kouichi by the arms and pulled him toward the door, which was over halfway gone. When everyone else was through, Ryo turned back.

"If you run back here, I swear I'll hit you!" Koji was NOT in a good mood. He was still fighting the psycho lady and had no time to focus on Ryo too. Ryo hesitated but knew all he would do was get in the way, so he turned and ran through the portal just as it closed. Koji smirked, but stopped as he saw Discordia's expression.

"They'll be back. After all, I have you, don't I? And even if they don't come…well…we'll just have to go to them, now won't we?" Then she placed her hand on Koji's face.

Koji screamed.

Place: ?

"Where are we?"

"I don't know, Zoe, but if you tell me then we'll both know."

"Ha ha, very funny Takuya. What about Koji?"

Ryo winced. "He didn't make it."

Tears started running down Kouichi's face, and the other's stood there in silence for a while until Kari pointed toward a village across the field. "There's a town over there. Maybe they can help us…" All seven children began walking, Kouichi crying the whole way.

Place: the unknown village

As the children came into town people stopped working to stare. One man approached them.

"By the spirits, you're alive! But what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the castle? And where is the Lord of Strength?"

The children looked at one another, none of them knowing who this "Lord of Strength" was. "I think you have us confused," TK said. "We've never met, and we've certainly never been here before. In fact, if you could tell us where we are…"

"Never been here before! Of course you ha…"

"That's enough, Harets. You forget they've lost their memories." The children looked over in surprise as a young redheaded woman walked toward them. The villagers backed away and bowed. Again TK bravely asked the questions.

"Excuse me, but who are you? And where are we?"

The lady smiled sadly. "I am Lady Harmony and this is West City, located in the Kingdom of Souls. Where the Kingdom is at is a tricky question, but, simply put, it is one of the many worlds that exists side by side with the Human World. I have waited two years for this day. You don't know it yet, but the seven of you are finally home."


	8. DISCONTINUEDUP FOR ADOPTION

This story is DISCONTINUED/OPEN FOR ADOPTION.

Basically I've lost my inspiration for it and have decided not to finish it. I apologize for the inconvenience, but that's just how it worked out.

If you would like to adopt the plot, please send me a PM first. I'd like to know who is going to take it over.

Thanks for reading this far, hope you liked it.


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